Office of Communications
Phone: 850.922.8981
Fax: 850.921.4094

The Office of Communications at the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation facilitates media inquiries with reporters and members of the media for the Department.

Stephen LawsonCommunications Director

Travis KeelsPress Secretary

IMPORTANT NEWS...

The Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Recognizes National Alcohol Awareness Month

April 1, 2009

TALLAHASSEE—April is National Alcohol Awareness Month, and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco works year-round to raise awareness about underage drinking. During Alcohol Awareness Month, the public is encouraged to understand the issues of underage drinking and the devastating effects it can have on youth. ABT executes a three-tiered strategy to combat underage drinking: prevention, education, and enforcement.

One recent preventative effort was DBPR’s “Why Not?” spring break video contest. Using YouTube.com for submissions and asking 14 to 20-year-olds to share short videos on why they choose not to drink during spring break, ABT created a peer-to-peer platform for teens to influence each other. The contest was a success with more than 30 videos submitted the first year and no money spent on the campaign. DBPR relied on partnerships for prizes and promotion.

In addition to preventative measures aimed at underage youth, ABT also educates alcoholic beverage retailers on upholding state law and protecting the underage. ABT holds vendor responsibility classes, which are geared toward sellers and servers of alcoholic beverages. During these classes, alcoholic beverage industry members are taught how to spot false identification and the reasonable sale and service of alcoholic drinks is discussed.

ABT prefers to curb underage drinking through prevention and education; however, ABT agents use enforcement as a last resort. Spring break is a time notorious for underage drinking, and ABT agents patrol beaches and arrest underage drinkers. This spring break season, ABT agents are focusing enforcement efforts in Panama City Beach, Miami and Daytona Beach.

The mission of ABT is to keep alcohol and tobacco out of the hands of underage persons, to ensure that licensed establishments are in compliance with the laws and rules regulating the industry in Florida, and to collect taxes and fees related to these industries.

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s mission is to license efficiently and regulate fairly. The Department licenses nearly one million businesses and professionals ranging from real estate agents, veterinarians, and accountants to contractors and cosmetologists. For more information, please visit MyFloridaLicense.com.

Under Florida law, email addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public-records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact the office by phone or by traditional mail. If you have any questions, please contact 850.487.1395. *Pursuant to Section 455.275(1), Florida Statutes, effective October 1, 2012, licensees licensed under Chapter 455, F.S. must provide the Department with an email address if they have one. The emails provided may be used for official communication with the licensee. However email addresses are public record. If you do not wish to supply a personal address, please provide the Department with an email address which can be made available to the public. Please see our Chapter 455 page to determine if you are affected by this change.